Existence of GoM contested

Power struggle in Cong intensifies

A senior minister in the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government today contested the contention that a formal Group of Ministers (GoM) existed that was seized with the task of unearthing facts in scams of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government.

Denying that he was part of the supposed GoM, he said GoMs could only be appointed by the Prime Minister and he had heard nothing from Manmohan Singh on the subject.

But he did say Congress leaders had a meeting where they discussed ways in which the various charges made against the previous government could be revived and investigated.

"During the Lok Sabha election campaign we had addressed press conferences and prepared a chargesheet against the NDA government. Many of us felt that having raised those issues then, we should persist in our enquiries now that we are in power. So it was decided that ministers will be asked to pursue in their ministries, irregularities if any, by the previous regime. That's all there is to it," the minister said.

In the defence ministry for instance, a number of enquiries were on including an investigation by the Comptroller and Auditor-General and another by the Public Accounts Committee. A minister could order further enquiries only once these statutory investigations were complete, he said.

In the coffin import scam, for instance, former defence minister George Fernandes had himself written a letter to the Prime Minister seeking an enquiry that would clear him. Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee referred this to the law ministry and is awaiting a reply.

The fact that a clarification is being offered on the issue gives further credence to the belief among several Congressmen that the setting up of a GoM is actually a camouflage for an internal reconfiguration of forces in the party.

Several ministers who want to be seen as crusaders against the previous regime to notch up points in their favour vis a vis 10 Janpath have created a ginger group of sorts, Congressmen say.

Many in this group are erstwhile supporters of the Tiwari Congress that split from the Congress when PV Narasimha Rao was in power and sought Sonia Gandhi's intervention in the party.

But there is another set of Congressmen who feel that repeatedly harping on the BJP's communalism will only have the effect of resuscitating the Sangh Parivar. This group believes the government should get on with the business of governance and let the party do the politics.